Living in the Spirit
July 19, 2016

Scripture Reading: Hosea 1:2-10

She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.’

 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.’ –Hosea 1:6-9

Hosea intimates that when God went in search of Israel, God could not recognize the country because it had shifted so far away from God’s will and way. It had moved past the point of pity and even past forgiveness—past any hope of salvation as a nation. At this point in Biblical history, the Nation of Israel had split into two countries. The country on the north retained the name Israel; the country on to the south became Judah. Israel had aligned earlier with the Assyrians to strengthened their cause against Aram around 846 BCE, which brought them safety for a time. Hosea thought the alignment went against God and that it would only end badly for Israel. Israel did fall to Assyria in 722 BCE.

We are making decision today that will affect our descendants. What was going on in the Middle East in Hosea’s time mirrors our world today. With whom should we align? The “7th generation” principle taught by Native Americans says that in every decision, be it personal, governmental or corporate; we must consider how it will affect our descendants seven generations into the future*. I fear we cannot see past our present self-serving interest.

How do we get past our need for instant gratification and entitlement? We might start by reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Or read the parables about Christ’s vision of the Kingdom of God. We might examine ourselves to see how closely we are following Christ’s lessons. If each of us finds answers for our behavior; we will find the answers for our behavior as a community of faith.

Prayer: Lord, renew in us the desire to be a positive light unto the world. Amen.

*http://www.mollylarkin.com/what-is-the-7th-generation-principle-and-why-do-you-need-to-know-about-it-3/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.